Telltale



S. J. BELL Feb. 12 1924.

TELLTALE Filed July 12, 1923 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 12, 1924. I

A STATES Fries.

\ SAMUEL J. BELL, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO BELL REGISTER CQRPORATION, or srsrnsrrnnn, MASSACHUSETTS, a ooaroae'r on or DELA- WARE.

TELLTALE.

Application filed July 12, 1823. Serial No. 651,191.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. BELL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of I-lampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new aliclyet isefiil Telltale, of

which the following is a specification. invention relates to improvements in devices commonly known as tell-tales, for

use in, fare-boxes or'other coin-receiving containers or receptacles, and consists essentially and generally of a pin or 0st, a weight slidingly mounted thereon, am a pivotally mounted lover or latch arranged to .hold "said weight in an abnormal position in the event, the same be permitted to slide out of its normal position, on said post, all

as hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a coin-receiving or other receptacle or object with simple, inexpensive, and

durable means for registering or indicat ing the factthat such receptacle or object hasbeen" invertedgsuch means being certain inaction and withalhighly practicable and efficient i i s It frequently 'occurs that dishonest persons having charge of fareboxes and the like invert and shake the same'in an effort to abstract therefrom the coins therein.

With this tell-tale such an attempt causes the weight "to shift fro'mits manna an abnormalposition,and to be retained in said last-named position, or, in other words, to become for the time being permanently displaced, an'dthus gives notice and affords material and visual evidence of the fact that the receptacle equipped with the tell-tale has been inverted','presumabl y for the purpose of abstracting the contents'of said receptacle in an improper manner andby an unauthorized person.

The tell-tale should in practice he so located in its enclosure that saidtell-tale can not be reached for the purpose of resetting the same, except byone authorizedto reset it. s i p p Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description. I attain the objects and secure the advantages ofmy invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which+ v V Figure 1' is 'a frontelevation of-a tell-tale tn gatqais a practical for of my invention, and, Fig. 2, a side elevation of a fare-box in which said tell-tale is located, on a reduced scale, a portion of one side of said box and of the casing upon which the box is mounted being broken out to dising from said floor, and a cap 4 mounted on said rods and plates, and opening through'the top thereof, A coin chute 5 depends into the fare-box from the cap 4 and into which, the latter opens. The chute 1 5 opens through the front side thereof at,

the bottom, as at 6. A chute 7 is located in the fare-box below the chute 5. The chute 7 has a wide mouth, at the top and is smaller at the bottom to fitinto an opening inthe floor 1 This fare-box is mounted on a casing 8 ofwhich the floor l'forms the top. The mouth of the chute 7 is sufficiently large to have three of the upper edges thereof contact with the front and side plates 3.

From the upper, rear edge of'the mouth of the chute 7 extendswupwardly and rearwardlya partition 9 to" contact with the rear plate 3. Thus a compartment or chamber 10 is provided in the fare-box behind the chute 7. The tell-tale is'located in the chamber 10 and access thereto is cut off by the chute"? and the inclinedpartition 9, so

that it is impossible to introduce an instrumentinto saidchamloer, by way of the opening in the cap 4 and the chute 5, for the purpose of resettingor otherwise tampering with said. telltale, although the'construction of said chute would probably prevent the introduction of such an instrument.

The tell-tale comprises an angular, pivotallymounte d latch or lever 11, apin' or post 12, and a .vveightor ball 13. The post 12 has its base setin the floor '1, and the ball 13 is adaptedto slide up and down on said post. At the top of the post 12' is a head '14; which prevents the ball 13 from becoming disconnected from said post; The horizontal arm: of the lever 11 is pivoted at 15 to a lug 16-that has'its" baseset in the floor 1, and theu-pstanding arm of said lever is adapted at its free end' to bear against the post12', and is normally' retainegl in engagement with said post by means of a spring 17 interposed between the floor 1 and said horizontal arm adjacent to the free end thereof. The terminal of the arm 11,

which normally is in contact with the post 12, has a vertical concavity therein in order that the same shall fit snugly against the contiguous side of the post. The strength of the spring 17 and the weight of the ball 13 are so relatively proportioned that the former'may be overcome by the latter.

Normallythe ball 13 rests on the floor 1, but, it the receptacle be inverted, said ball slides down by gravity on the post 12 past the adjacent terminal of the lever 11 into contact with the head 14, assuming the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and is there retained by means of said lever. As previously intimated, the ball is of suflicient weight to overcome the resistance of the spring 17, when said ball slides down on the inverted post 12, and rock said lever out of the way. The terminal of the lever 11 which engages said post is so located that it reengages said post above the ball, as soon as the latter passes such terminal, the latter being actuated immediately into engagement again with the post by the spring. Thus the ball is r'etained'at the upper end of the post 12 afterthe receptacle and said post are righted again, wherefore said ball furnishes positive. material and visual indication and evidence of the fact that said receptacle has been turned bottomside up.

The ball can not be released from the lever 11 and permitted to assume its low position again without obtaining access to the small chamber 10 in which the tell- 'tale is located, either through a suitably located door, or by taking the fare-box apart, unless provision is made for reaching said lever through the floor 1. The latter method is safe and satisfactory provided no unauthorized person has access to the compartment 8. In the present example, an opening 18 is made in the floor 1 directly under the terminal of the horizonthe floor 1. After the tell-tale is thus reset the aforesaid rod is withdrawn and the spring 17 once more rocks the lever 11 into contact with'the post 12.

More or less changein the shape, size, and construction oft-he tell-tale, as well as in the location and use of the same, may

be made, without departing from the spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of what is claimed. V V

This application is adivisional part of my application which is serially numbered 505,433.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A telltale comprising, with a supporting member, a post. mounted on said member and having a stop member, a weight slidingly mounted on said post, and a spring pressed pivotally-mounted lever in operative relation to said post, and adapted to permit said weight to pass the same by gravity into contact with said stop member, and then to retain said weight in its changed position on the post.

2. A tell-tale comprising, with a support in g member, a post mounted on said member and havlng atv its free end a stop member,

a weight slidingly mounted on said post,

an angular lever pivotally mounted on said member adjacent to said post, and a spring arranged normally to retain said lever in contact with said post, said spring being adapted to yield to said weight when the parts are inverted, the weight then moving into contact with said stop member, and

then to actuate said levfer into position to retain said weight at a point on said post between the part of saidlever that engages the post and said stop member.

3. A tell-tale comprising, with a'supporting member, a post rising from said member, a ball, sildingly mounted on said post, a lever pivotally supported from said member and adapted to contact with, said post, and

spring'arranged to retain said lever normally in contact with said post, the weight of said ball being suflicient to overcome the resistance of said spring, when the parts are inverted and the ball slides on said post toward the free end thereof. 1

4:. A tell-tale comprising, with a supporting member, a post rising from said mem' ber and having a head, a ball slidingly mounted on said post, a lever pivotally supported from said member, and adapted to have one terminal in engagement with said post at a point far enough from said head to permit said ball to occupy a position between said head and said terminal, and a spring arranged normally to retain the lever with said terminal in contact with said post, the weight of said ball' being Bil adapted normally to have its free end contact With said post at a point sufficiently distant from said head to enable said ball to be received between said head and said end, and a spring arranged between said member and the free terminal of said horizontal arm normally to retain said end of said lever in contact With said post, the Weight of said lever being suflicient to overcome the resistance of said spring.

6. The combination, With a casing, and a superimposed open-top receptacle having a chamber therein Which is inaccessible from said top, of a post mounted on the 15 floor of said receptacle, a Weight slidingly mounted on said post, an angular lever pivotally mounted on said floor adjacent to said post, and a spring arranged normally to retain said lever in contact With said post said spring being adapted to yield to said Weight When said receptacle is inverted, and then to actuate said lever into position to retain said Weight at the free end of said post, said floor having therein a resetting opening adj acentto said lever.

SAMUEL J. BELL. Witnesses:

C. C. WEST, R. E. Amman. 

